1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to buildings located in areas exposed to flooding, for example due hurricane or other natural or man-made conditions, which can become uninhabitable or dangerous after the flooding has subsided. Past experience with flooding and hurricane disasters show that evacuation of inhabitants in advance of a threatening disaster may be prevented by traffic congestions, unusually fast onset of the flooding, broken dams, coincidence of heavy winds, faulty predictions, and/or delayed evacuation orders by authorities, or simply as a result of the inhabitants waiting too long with their move to a safer area. All these factors have been clearly demonstrated in connection with past flooding related to hurricanes and tsunamis. Other experience demonstrates that extraordinary conditions often result from natural disasters and have a tendency to last many weeks, sometimes months, thus the inhabitants of areas exposed to flooding as a result of hurricane or other natural or man-made conditions many times will have to wait long time periods before public utilities, such as drinking water, and electricity supply, and sewer system, are restored. In the interim, lack of a good source of food, drinking water, electricity, and other public utilities can lead to illness and loss of human life.
2. Description of the Related Art
Housing in areas exposed to flooding are commonly connected in a rigid manner to a foundation, and cannot be lifted by the rising floodwater. Furthermore, as they become flooded, not only are they adversely affected, stored resources required for human survival also become destroyed. Even permanently elevated buildings which provide escape to upper levels, and ultimately to the roof, are not self-contained and thereby do not provide a good opportunity for the survival of inhabitants beyond the time period of a few days. Lack of portable water, lack of electrical energy, and the rapid accumulation of sewage in the inhabitants' surroundings quickly weaken the resistance of surviving inhabitants against infections, exhaustion, and deterioration of health. No known self-contained floating house unit is known that has all of the features and advantages of the present invention.